


hot and buttered

by yourlipsarered



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: (there's a tag for that?! hahahha), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Slow Burn Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith, Zelda Spellman Needs A Hug, so this is going to be long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2020-05-19 15:12:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19359499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlipsarered/pseuds/yourlipsarered
Summary: Zelda owns the most renowned bakery in all of Greendale, Spellman Sweets, which she runs with her family Hilda, Ambrose, and Sabrina. All is well and the towns people love her until one hotshot big business woman Lilith comes to town and opens Hellish Delights right across their dainty store. To make matters worse, she'd brought in a hip new concept of coffee shops and the whole town is flocking to it. Could Zelda lose the business to the big city tycoon along with her family, who had grown fond of the infernal woman, in the process?Madam Spellman Bakery/Coffee Shop non-magical AU!





	1. blood, sweet, and tears

**Author's Note:**

> special thanks to Nikka for the AU idea and the title! an actual angel that deserves everything but is also a crackhead that has the best ideas.
> 
> Enjoy!

The smell of apple pie filled the air in Spellman Sweets Bakery that fine Tuesday morning. Consequently, it was also Hilda’s favorite day of the week as signaled by the extra bounce in her step as she walked around the kitchen in graceful haste. “Oh, it  _ding_ -ed! Let’s have a look, shall we?” the blonde says to no one in particular, though the place was small enough that everyone was in earshot. Placing her worn but functional orange oven gloves over her hands, the head baker carefully coos the pastry like a newborn baby out. “You look divine, my love!” the blonde praised. It really did look quite wonderful, with its pinched edged crust a perfect shade of golden brown and light smoke rising from the crisscross patterned surface. No matter the repeated times Hilda had baked pies, breads or any pastry of the sort, the most recent baked creation always felt like the first – they were always made out of love and joy, and she knew their customers could feel it in their stomachs too. 

“Either you get a room or you stop talking to our pastries like you want to marry them, Hilda.” The exchange between pie and baker came to a halt as Zelda walked in. Contrary to the merry cheer of Hilda was the more candidly straightforward redhead sister, who immediately poked the pie and inspected its surface to ascertain its quality. “Well, it’s not terrible. Set it down to cool quickly, we’re behind schedule as it is.” With that, Hilda beamed with a bright smile. It was seldom that her sister praised her work (yes that was, in fact, the highest form of regard she could possibly receive), even less so that she’d catch Zelda in a good mood (yes that is a good mood).

“Alright, oh and um, Ambrose is having a little trouble with the-“

A loud thump from the other side of the kitchen interrupted Hilda’s statement and so did a cloud of a white powdery substance that, when subsided, revealed a flour-bathed Ambrose in its wake. He’d carried one too many bags of flour in an ambitious attempt to carry all of them at once over his shoulder. Losing his balance on the way because of a cracked eggshell on the floor was to blame.

“Ambrose, what the hell happened?” Zelda scowled, palms turned upward in both surprise and irritation. Quickly, she glanced at her apple watch. 8:34am already? There was no time. The young man wiped over his eyes in an attempt to gain his vision back, but his flour covered hands did little to help. “I-“

“Clean this up at once, we’re running  _late_.” She followed up too soon, not giving her nephew time to talk his way out of it,

“I’m fine though! Thanks for asking,” Ambrose replied anyway, eyes crossing Hilda’s whom he caught chuckling at his ordeal.

Zelda hurried out to the front of the store where Sabrina was  _supposed to_  be laying out the small tables out for dine-in guests. There were so few of them to take care of, you could count them in one hand, but it was important to present the store as neatly as possible so as to hide the catastrophic mess that was the kitchen. If that little detail turned out to be overlooked, Zelda was sure she’d spontaneously combust on the spot from her blood pressure. Damn, what she’d do for a cigarette.

As if the universe had meant to deliver Zelda the 3rd strike of the day so early in the morning, Sabrina was nowhere to be found. Plus, the tables were not set yet. Zelda could feel her anger bubbling deep in her stomach as she reached out for the checkered table covers herself, aggressively flattening them out until they were to her liking. Not long after she’d started on the second to the last table did Sabrina appear before the store’s glass front with none other than Nicholas Scratch. Zelda made sure that her eyeroll was visible when they kissed before parting.

“Hi, Aunt Zee! Sorry I’m a little late, Nick just came by to say hi,” her niece said in a voice that once quelled her anger when she was years younger, but that trick didn’t work on her anymore. “Said hi for over half an hour? Must’ve been quite the struggle to get that two letter word out, then,” the redhead grumbled with an eyebrow raised. Sabrina instantly felt guilty; she was only at the bakery for so long before she had to go back to school, she could at least help with the little time in the morning she had off. The shorter blonde wore the smile that she’d wear if the ‘tone of voice’ trick hadn’t worked the first time and gave her aunt a tight squeeze, capturing her arms in the hug so she was forced to stop working on the table. “I’ll take it from here, Auntie,” she says, squeezing tighter before letting go. Zelda rolled her eyes again, but Sabrina knew it was one of those eyerolls that subtly admitted defeat. She may not admit it, but Zelda’s soft spot for her niece was too great for anger to linger too long. Not that she would give the young girl the satisfaction of knowing that. “Fine, but dust the windows while you’re at it. And clear up the counter too. We only have a few minutes left.”

And so the Spellman family worked thoroughly for the next few minutes, preparing the display shelf with freshly made breads of several kinds, prepping utensils and paper bags for either dine in or take away orders, writing up the menu on the chalk board that hung by the cash register. Zelda didn’t know how they managed to pull everything together in the morning, but somehow they did. It was in their blood to do so, she figured; the bakery walls always willed its perfection by the generations of Spellmans that ran it since the beginning of Greendale.

“Are we ready?” Zelda inquired, her family members already lined up by the front of the store as was tradition.

“Ready as we’ll ever be!” Hilda says brightly. Sabrina with two thumbs up, and Ambrose – who was now only half covered in flour – with a light nod.

She couldn’t believe that the day was just about to begin, but she knew her mother would be proud with what they’d accomplished on this typical Tuesday morning. Not knowing where her sentimentality came from, she recalled her girlhood in the very same kitchen of the store with Hilda, Edward, and herself in child aprons and curious eyes watching as their mother taught them the family’s tradition. Hilda had always excelled in the baking department, while she and Edward trained their palettes to know a good piece of bread from one that didn’t meet the Spellman standard.

Yes, their mother and Edward would be proud.

Watching her aunt from across the room, Sabrina leaned in to Hilda in an attempt to whisper out of earshot. “Is she alright?” The blonde, with an unsure look on her face merely shrugged. “Must be in one of her moods.” “Has someone pressed pause on the simulation without telling me?” Ambrose chimed after, getting some loose flour on Hilda’s shoulder as he leaned in to mimic Sabrina’s posture.

Before her emotions got the better of her, she clapped her hands together in flamboyant fashion that made the other three jump back upright. “Alright then, let’s get to work.” With that, Zelda turns their sign to Open with a relieved sigh. Zelda hadn’t realized how long she must’ve been standing there reminiscing. “Well, chop chop!” And to the kitchen and counter they dispersed.

Despite the chaotic morning, the day turned out to run smoothly.

Mrs. Tapper walked in with a bright smile on her face, stating ‘Apple Pie? It must be Tuesday!’ leaving with a little over half of the pie to feed her family of 6 that night. ‘They’re in for a treat,’ she exclaimed before leaving. Sabrina’s gang Harvey, Theo, and Roz also came over to grab their usual bagel bundle before leaving for an early movie. The youngest Spellman only needed to bat her eyes for her aunts to let her go with them. Even Baxter High’s Principal Hawthorne came by for some cinnamon rolls, though Zelda could care less for his frequent visits that, quite frankly, annoyed her by the looks he always shot at her.

Before they all knew it, the clock struck 5pm and the sign up front was turned over once again. Everything had already been put to order in the kitchen ready for the next day’s trials. So were Ambrose and Hilda ready to leave a little past the hour, Ambrose with his handsome date and Hilda with Dr. Cerberus for their usual dinner. It was always Zelda that stayed latest, as she always preferred to do the accounting in the solitude of the bakery. It still smelled of butter and flour even when the lights were turned low and the tables deserted.

Unexpectedly, however, the bell rang to signify a visitor. Zelda hadn’t looked up from her computations as she spoke, assuming that it was her sister returning to the store. “Forgot your glasses again, Hilda? They’re at the back by the fridge, you always seem to misplace-“ the redhead stopped midsentence by the way the shoes clicked on the floorboards. Those weren’t the usual stubby heels Hilda wore, they sounded more like…slender stilettoes.

She hadn’t been mistaken. Before her stood an unfamiliar face framed by a gloriously styled mane of brown hair. The volume hadn’t drowned out the woman’s sharp features, defined even more by make up that complimented them even further. A deep shade of red on her lips, Zelda had observed, to counter icy blue eyes. Even the sharp cut of the leather coat that wrapped her body teased of power and influence, all cloaked in mystery. How inferior Zelda must’ve looked now worn from a full day’s work, still in her apron with her reading glasses to the tip of her nose and hair tied up in a clumsy bun. The redhead’s confidence, however, never wavered as she stood to…greet the woman before her.

“I’m sorry, the sign up front says closed.” More like insult, really. The town was small enough that Zelda had everyone’s names memorized and their faces engraved in her mind. An outsider immediately stood out like a sore thumb in these parts. Unfortunately for the visitor, the bakeshop owner wasn’t one to greet them politely after hours.

With wide eyes that could pierce a hole through a wall, the brunette woman chuckled as if in embarrassment yet untied her coat to cater to the warmer air in the bakery nonetheless. Zelda couldn’t help but notice she was in a well tailored suit that hugged in just the right places. It looked expensive, too. Needless to say, if her unknown identity hadn’t given her away, it would be the out-of-place clothing that would. Zelda was wary of strangers, though this one in particular piqued her curiosity despite herself.

“Yes, of course. Silly me, I hadn’t grown used to the…unusual hours of the place just yet.”  _Right, a city woman, used to convenience stores being open 24 hours a day and bars that cater to late night appointments,_ Zelda concluded, wrapping her arms around herself now to further distance from the other. “Though I was hoping I could catch you just in time for a last minute purchase? I heard this was the best bakery in town.”

Of course, Zelda immediately responds to the blatant praise the other threw regarding their store’s status. “Yes, and the longest running one too. Passed on for generations,” the owner shares despite herself, pride written all over her face. So much so, that she hadn’t minded catering to one more customer for the day.

And the other woman was glad of it. She returned a smile – devilishly mischievous and sultry underneath the innocence that she tried to shield it with, Zelda took note – before walking over to the available pastries they had left. Blue eyes scanned nonchalantly, taking her sweet time it seemed, before resting her eyes on one that caught her fancy.

“May I have this red velvet cupcake? These are my favorites,” the woman says, turning around for eyes to meet Zelda’s once more. She could’ve been mistaken, but she could feel the other’s gaze following her as she walked around back to retrieve the order. “Would you like it in a bag?” Zelda inquired, to which the other waved her hand and shook her head. “It’s quite alright, I’m planning to bite into it just about now anyway.” Zelda hadn’t wasted any more time before handing the little treat across the counter, the woman’s eyes shining like an excited child but only for a moment.

“Thank you,” the mysterious woman says with a smile, gazing at the cupcake in hand as if to inspect it. Had Zelda’s patience grown thinner, she’d have forgotten herself before blatantly rolling her eyes.  _Just eat it already._

“What a beauty. This was made from your family recipe as well?” the woman inquires as she bites into it.

“Why yes, something my sister had concocted based on the…” what’s the word, “ _trendy_  recipes nowadays. Using the Spellman base cupcake recipe, of course.”

The woman closed her eyes as she chewed more but Zelda couldn’t help but feel it to have a mocking air to it. Her mood quickly turned sour, and when it did the redhead was never one to hide it. Her arms returned to their folded position and her lips pressed into a flat line.

“It’s divine; hellishly so. Thank you, I won’t keep you much longer than I already have.” With that, the brunette leaves the store. “I’ll see you around.” Again, Zelda may have been mistaken, but the woman also may have sent a wink her way before turning away to leave, bell ringing even louder than usual when the door shut closed. The redhead found herself in an annoyed state; there was something fishy about that woman, other than the fact that she wasn’t from around here. And she didn’t even catch her name.

Nevertheless, it was nearly 7pm and she found herself extremely fatigued and hungry. Zelda stormed outside the store, locking the door behind her and released her hair from its scrunchie prison to fly free against the cold night wind. Immediately, she whipped a cigarette from her pocket, breathing it in deep. She needed to cool off.

As Zelda drove home, she’d suddenly recalled…  _I’ll see you around,_ the woman said before leaving. Was she here to stay? She’s so out of place as it is, Zelda doubted she’d ever feel welcome. Nevertheless, it meant she’d have to stand her presence longer – unsure of it as she was.


	2. rise and shine!

_“You need to dust the pan with flour, darling, unless you want to spend the better part of the day scraping it off.”_

_“I’m trying, moooooom,” the small but powerful voice of a certain redhead whined, one that subtly shook by the tears that threatened to fall from her rosy cheeks. If it wasn’t for Vinegar Tom – her loyal pet basset hound – licking her ankle to comfort her, she wouldn’t have the strength to bite them back._

_“Mom…” a slightly older Edward, who was in charge of watching over the oven, called out._

_“Hold on a minute, Eddy. Hilda has made a beautiful snickerdoodle toffee cupcake.” A tiny Hilda, with her tongue in between her lips in full concentration, was in the final stages of frosting her creation. She’d always garnered the highest praises of their mother; it made Zelda fiercely jealous, so much so that if she could kill her, she was sure she would._

_“MOM!” Edward called out once more, now with Vinegar Tom barking in unison._

_“What! What is it!” she called out._

_And before them all was a fire that threatened to swallow the whole kitchen up. Edward panicked, running around the kitchen to find something, anything, to put the fire out. Zelda screamed at her brother for being so negligent. Hilda stood in a corner and cried a river._

_All the while, the Spellman matriarch glided across the room in controlled grace to pick up the fire extinguisher reserved for this very purpose. In no time, the children’s mother had rid of the fire as soon as it started; suddenly, a silence falls the kitchen. All three tiny ones look to their mother, ready to receive a mouthful – she was always firm but gentle, with an authority that need not demand anyone’s respect for it was already deserved. Unexpectedly, the kitchen filled with Mrs. Spellman’s laughter as she bent down to hug all her children, each with their own little quirks. ‘You’ll make a fine team, you three.’_

It was so pleasant a dream that Zelda woke up with a smile on her face. Her subconscious had a way of easing her tired mind from a late night full of overthinking, particularly her worried thoughts about the woman clad in the leather coat and fancy suit from last night. _What were her motives? Why did she visit so late at night? What did she mean by seeing her around…_ No matter how hard she tried, Zelda couldn’t get her off her mind.

But the pleasant morning was not going to stick around, it seems, for one quick glance at the clock and it was way past the hour the redhead usually woke up. Zelda was about ready to complain to her sister that usually slept to her left in the parallel bed, though it had already been made. Hilda was nowhere to be found. In fact, nobody was. 

“Fuck. Ing. Hell.” Zelda groaned to the still air, which shook at her quick movements to get dressed before the bakery opened. As she was a woman that preferred to prioritize fashion over comfort, Zelda opted for a flattering beige pencil skirt with a high collared blouse to match – never forgetting to accessorize even in her rush. The redhead then lit a cigarette as she prepared her morning coffee, only allowing herself that cup before flying out of the house and into her car. Whether it was the caffeine rush or her blood rushing to her head in annoyance, it was the very thing that had Zelda flooring the gas and exceeding the speed limit to get to the storefront in time.

All that was missing in her stressed state was actual steam leaving her ears. Banging the car door behind her, she finds all three members of the Spellman clan outside. They were looking across the street, but in her distraction and determination to hear everyone’s excuses as to that morning’s events, Zelda fails to notice.

“Do I even want to hear what you have to say for yourselves for abandoning me in my sleep this morning?” she directs to the three, though no one in particular. The three look distracted, however, but Hilda calms her sister’s qualms first.

“You looked awfully peaceful in your sleep, Zelds, we really didn’t want to wake you.” The blonde’s voice was soothing in itself, though it was hard for such words to get through to Zelda when she was on a roll. “Besides,” Hilda added before the string of words could leave her sister’s mouth, “we didn’t call because, well, we were a little bit distracted.” With that, she holds Zelda by her shoulders to turn her around. 

In the chaos of her mind, Zelda had neglected just what the three had been looking at, and the noise coming from the many trucks and people across the street. What once was a space abandoned for many decades was now being paid utmost attention by workers in hard-hats. Greendale was a quiet place that any such racket would garner onlookers, including the baking family from across the street. Zelda, however, was too in over her head – having woken up to the most unpleasant way that morning – to care for politeness.

Marching forward, leaving hushed protests from her niece and nephew behind her, Zelda was determined to talk to whoever was in charge. Almost immediately, her eyes rest on a face that she recognized, and the only figure amidst the many people at the site that radiated authority.

It was the woman from last night.

“Excuse me,” Zelda says as she strode through the crowd as if she owned the place. Her voice must’ve caught the woman’s attention immediately as she had turned toward her. The brunette smirked and bat her eyes heavily in her direction, leaving the man she’d previously been speaking to ignored. It was almost as if she was expecting her; it sent a cold shiver down Zelda’s spine, but it only helped her stand taller in an attempt to match the other’s posture. With her hands already folded, Zelda stood before her late night visitor who had a devious smirk on.

“What is all this?” It was more of a complaint than an inquiry on Zelda’s part, and it must’ve come out as such for it to draw a glint of shock on the other’s expression.

“Ms. Spellman, I believe we’ve met. Though I regret I haven’t been able to introduce myself properly.” Politely, the brunette reached a hand out for the other to shake. When Zelda didn’t show any signs of releasing a hand from her chest, the woman merely retracted her arm back to her side with a nod and. “I’m Lilith, pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Even as the redhead’s blood boiled, she took the time to observe the woman (whom she now knew to be Lilith) in full daylight. Her features were even sharper than she’d made them out to be in the dim light of the bakery, and her hair just as voluminous as its silhouette from that night. Instead of a suit, she now donned a well-fitted dress of deep rouge and stilettoes that could pierce an eye out if she chose to do so.

It was all incredibly irritating.

“Spare me the introductions, would you mind telling me what all this racket is for? It’s disturbing the peace, and frankly tainting my storefront.” Zelda was just _not having_ it that day; it couldn’t be described any other way. Despite the words that were glazed with sarcasm, Lilith kept her cool all throughout and never shied away from looking Zelda straight in the eye.

“Why I’m building a new establishment! Just like yours,” Lilith says with a grin, and in a tone that would’ve fooled anyone to believe that they had been friends for decades. Smoothly, she hands Zelda her card as she explained. It read:

 

Morningstar Inc.

 

Lilith

Executive Sales Officer

           

Below it, her number and, boldly, an address in Greendale which is where Zelda assumed she resided. Only recently, of course, for she would’ve known if a woman like her moved in the moment she bought the property. Especially a big time Executive that worked for the most prestigious company in the country. Having the habit of reading the paper every morning gave Zelda the benefit of knowing such things that lay outside her tiny bubble.

“It’s still a work in progress, of course, but it’ll be a grand thing once it’s do-" 

“I believe Greendale has all that it currently needs without this little addition,” the redhead cuts the other off mid-sentence. “We’re fine as we are.”

At that, Lilith simply smiles quietly. “Well, I’ve recently just finished a business endeavor in Italy and, with all my businesses standing on their own two feet, I thought a short stay in a quiet town would be as good as a vacation,” she glanced to the building for a moment, “even though work never sleeps.” The woman veiled her story in such a silky tone, it was sure to reel Zelda in and make her sympathize but she had an exterior as thick as metal, she but shot back a snappy reply.

“Well, the neighborhood won’t be getting much sleep with all the racket you’re making so you’ll be ruining the very quiet you seek. Good day.” One final word in and she was off, crossing the street and walking into her bakery without turning around for a second glance.

She’d missed the amused expression on Lilith’s face before she got back to her own duties.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A week passed and the store across Spellman Sweets was taking shape. It didn’t help Zelda’s mood that one could see the store clearly from the bakery’s glass wall, like an annoying television show that she couldn’t turn off. What was worse, she would catch a glimpse of Lilith every passing day in her natural habitat; it never failed to cause her to curse under her breath at the mere _sight_ of her. There was also a lingering feeling that she was being watched, one that she couldn’t shake. The redhead was tempted to buy blinds for the place, though Sabrina insisted the sun lit the store beautifully in the late afternoons that she didn’t push through with it.

Another week had passed and the signage was up. _Hellish Delights_ , it read. Sabrina hopped and clapped when it was lit up for the first time during twilight. “This is so exciting! We never get new stuff around here, it’s about time,” the teenager cheered, everyone in the bakery agreeing except one. 

“It sounds like a sex store to me. With that woman running it I wouldn’t be surprised,” Zelda says with an eyeroll, trying her best to counter any and all good things being said about the mysterious new place. All the comment earned was exaggerated grossed out sounds from both her niece and Ambrose, followed by their suppressed giggles.

The third week came rolling in and, even as she was off duty from the front row seat of a bakery Zelda had, Hellish Delights followed her everywhere. Advertising was heavy around town and the buzz was growing louder by the day. Posters were displayed on announcement boards, fliers were being given out to Spellman Sweets’ customers by people across the street – lucky for them, they never got too close to the store that Zelda would swat them away like mosquitoes. There was even an ad on the morning paper, which the redhead instinctively rolled up into a ball and tossed in the fire. ‘Zelds! The fire’s running just fine!’ Hilda complained briefly. ‘It’s getting chilly in here Hilda. Do you want me to freeze to death?!’ was the redhead’s only angry response.

Did anybody _actually_ know what the new establishment was? Zelda wondered. It was all over the place yet the mystery veiled itself around the store as much as it did the woman that built it. Call it the hype garnered by a big city brand, or alternative marketing, but Zelda was not buying it. Not even a little bit.

As if to answer that very doubt of hers, the fourth week came quickly and she was alone in her bakery once again. The new establishment across was due to open the following day; the redhead relished the last evening she would have alone in the silence of her deserted store as she has spent many nights before. Busy with her bookkeeping, Zelda nearly missed the new addition below the big font of Hellish Delights. She had been ready to head home when she’d realized it read:

 

Hellish Delights

Coffee Shop and Bakery

 

**_Bakery?_ **

Zelda’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She stood frozen in the spot where she’d looked at the signage, illuminated against the quiet Greendale sky like a firefly during a moonless night. She gripped the nearest chair within an arm’s length to hold herself up.

_The nerve of that woman. Who does she think she is? Barging in unannounced, walking in like she owns the place, and blatantly competing against my family business like this? She’s getting a piece of my mind…_

Then she realizes she could do exactly that. With her whole body on fire, she reached for her wallet and phone to call a number she never thought she’d dial in her lifetime. The crumpled up card read Lilith and displayed her number. All too quickly before she could change her mind, she punched in the string of numbers and waited as the other line rang. Zelda tapped her foot on the store’s wooden walls impatiently, and it seemed to echo and fill the room to match her rage and anticipation. _‘For a businesswoman, she’s taking her precious time picking up the goddamn ph-‘_

“Good evening, may I know who is calling?” A velvety voice finally pierced through the phone speaker to interrupt Zelda’s complaints in her head.

Foregoing friendly introductions, Zelda went right to it. “Who do you think you are?” The words flew out just as she said in her mind mere seconds ago. “You think you can just come barging into town unannounced like you own the place…”

 A light chuckle interrupts her train of thought – mostly out of shock that any human person could respond to such rage from an unknown number the way she just had – that it garnered her speechless. “Ms. Spellman, is that you?”

 In the corner of her eye, Zelda sees a shadowy figure move from across her store and inside the soon-to-open café and bakery. It was Lilith, holding her phone up to her ear as she turned the light on to give the redhead a better view from across the street. “So nice of you to call. Here to wish me good luck for my opening day tomorrow?” Zelda’s cheeks grew hot from being watched, but she stood her ground just the same; if they were to (technically) have this confrontation face to face, all the better.

“You come barging into town like you own the place and have the gall to open a bakery across one – mine – and expect me to not react violently to it?” Zelda says, sticking to the script she had drawn up in her mind from fear of dwindling into an incoherent rant. 

Another chuckle buzzed through the phone and it made Zelda blush in – though she would never admit it – humiliation. “Zelda,” the voice drawled out, so close to the redhead’s ear she could almost feel the other’s breath against her skin, “may I call you that? Well, _dear,_ that’s what you call healthy competition. I’m used to the unforgiving landscape of the city and I think it’s about time someone ruffled your feathers a bit.”

There was a sharp malice in the other’s tone, maybe even the drawl by alcohol in the other’s tongue that Zelda assumed was there. In her frustration, tears choked her by the throat and she was unable to speak immediately after. Watching the other woman _watch_ her from across the street, with her head tilted slightly and hips drawing a supple curve against the light, it took all her strength to bite tears back – no way in _hell_ was this woman getting the better of her.

When she’d gathered her strength and swallowed the lump in her throat, Zelda Spellman says with all authority, “We’ve been in business for years. Even longer than your precious Morningstar Inc. The people of Greendale love us and will continue to do so despite your arrival.” She took in a deep breath. “And with that, I bid you goodnight.”

“Oh, Zelda,” the other says quickly before the other could drop the call. “Do give me a call more often. I’ve grown to like our little talks.” As if ignoring anything the redhead had imparted, she’d claimed the final words that night. Zelda kept watching Lilith across the street even as she’d dropped the phone from her ear until the other had hidden behind the darkness once more. Finally, her true colors were revealed, at least to Zelda; all that she’d suspected the woman to be unravelling itself through a simple phone call.

It was harder to drive home that night; it was even harder to sleep. Her cheeks wouldn’t stop burning. Only when the clock struck 3 in the morning did sleep embrace her that night – though she made sure to alarm her clock to avoid the previous mistake she’d made before. Her dreams didn’t help with the anxiety; in fact, there was no dream at all. Only the words she’d used to close the conversation repeating like a broken record, and the realization that they were not so much to threaten Lilith but to reassure herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys catching the fandom references I've inserted 👀
> 
> Would love to get those comments and kudos! Let me know what you think of the story so far <3  
> and yes, every chapter name is a baking pun


	3. you bake me crazy

Were there really  _this_  many people in Greendale? There was not a face that Zelda didn’t recognize at the grand opening of Hellish Delights, some she had only seen once in a blue moon and others that seemed to have woken up from their hibernation for the sole purpose of filling the line that curved around the block. Even the mayor was present for the ribbon cutting, all smiles in his brand new suit and tacky top hat to pose beside Lilith herself for the cameras. Lilith made sure to dress for the occasion too; that much Zelda knew to expect. In her usual killer stiletto heels, a blazer over her white blouse and hair that exuded luxury – the brunette looked like the only one that fit in the entire picture, used to the high praise and profile.

It was more of a red carpet Hollywood event than it was a café slash bakery opening; the flamboyance if it made Zelda huff under her breath as she watched from her store window. 

Perhaps she was the only town resident not in attendance – that, she could be proud of at least – but she was not so pleased at the fact that she was the only Spellman who remembered the job they had to do that day. Her entire staff readily hanging up their aprons for the morning to secure their place in the long line. Even from where she stood, the giddy trio stood out enough that Zelda found them with ease. 

To preserve what dignity she had left, she opened Spellman Sweets that day anyway. Not that anyone came in, not even her everyday regular Mrs. Tapper came by for her family’s dessert. Nobody to remember what day it was by the special on the Spellman menu. Zelda wouldn't even oppose Principal Hawthorne to drop by, that's how desperate she was getting.

The only three people that walked into the bakery that day were Hilda, Ambrose, and Sabrina with boxes of brown and gold in all shapes and sizes. The three buzzed with excitement; all three smelled of chocolate and coffee. Hilda had a take out cup of tea in her hand, the tag hanging from the cup’s cover revealing an exotic looking brand that was surely not sourced locally. She stuck a crumbling croissant in between her teeth to free a hand to open the heavy door. Ambrose, whose poor arms never got a break, stacked the boxes on one of the empty tables – against it, the checkered table cloth looked severely outdated. Sabrina followed, skipping inside with an ice blended caramel macchiato.

“Auntie, look what we brought you! Some salted caramel cupcake and a dark chocolate gat.. gatoo—I can’t even pronounce it!” Sabrina cheered, hopping to Zelda’s side to kiss her cheek.  

“Oh, you should see it Zelds. It has  _two floors,_ a giant machine thingy that whirs out espresso, and,” Hilda leans in closer to whisper, “they play smooth jazz.” The blonde giggled and scrunched her nose.

Zelda paid them no mind. The redhead simply continued to take down the store inventory they had at the moment – not that there was much to take note of, but it was enough to make her look busy enough.

The three pouted, but Ambrose quickly grabbed a delicious looking dark chocolate sponge cake – knowing full well it was Zelda’s favorite flavour – and held it up under the redhead’s nose. “It’s really not that bad, Aunt Z.”  

Zelda swatted the cake away like it was an annoying mosquito, spitting out a quick “Get that thing away from me!” before turning on her heel and into the kitchen to…do the inventory- _ing_  there. With her gone, the three gushed about the various sweets, breads, and drinks they had bought for themselves.

 

* * *

 

 

A week passed and Zelda still held the title of ‘Hellish Delights virgin.’ Not once since it opened has she stepped inside despite numerous people telling her to do so. She had to refuse as  _politely_  as she could each time a customer brought it up, a number that was quickly dwindled within those 7 days.

Sabrina seemed to thoroughly enjoy the new place herself, though, coming in for her shift with a new kind of drink in hand each day. Being the petty aunt she was, she would always ask her niece to throw the paper cup out the back, so as not to distract from their own trash. 

“The owner seems really nice, Auntie. She’s there all day greeting customers,” Sabrina brings up, making the redhead roll her eyes so far back into her skull they could’ve rolled off. Zelda didn’t bother to reply, nonchalantly taking a sip of her not-so-special instant coffee instead. 

“She…asked about you today…” the young Spellman added, causing her aunt to nearly choke on what she was drinking. 

“She what?” Zelda inquired, irritation and impatience written all over her face. Sabrina’s eyes grew bigger, wondering what had caused such a reaction.

“Yeah, she was asking how you were, which was pretty sweet of her. Wait, have you two met before?”

“Besides the time I confronted her before that place was put up? God, no…” Zelda leaves out Lilith’s late night visit, the conversation they had on the phone, and the multiple times they would glance at each other from their various store windows. “Was that all?”

“Well…” Sabrina starts, having to sit down beside her aunt for what was to come next, “she did hint at inviting you over!”

Zelda let out a laugh, already preempting her refusal to the invitation. “I’m not stepping foot in that place, darling.”

“Bummer, she said she’d give me the recipe to one of their cakes if you came.”

“That’s ridiculous…” the older woman replied, though her tone betrayed her as it hinted at intrigue. Zelda tapped at her cup momentarily, replying after a brief silence. “She wouldn’t.”

Sabrina wore one of her mischievous smiles and shrugged in reply. “I dunno, Auntie. It’s worth a shot, don’t you think?” 

“Well, do tell her I send my regrets. I’m far too busy at the bakery to be dilly dallying tomorrow. Or any day.” 

 

 

Funny how she found herself at the door of Hellish Delights the following day.

 

 

The decision was not an easy one for the redhead to make; it kept her up the previous night. The pros, she’d decided, was a glimpse at the store’s recipe to figure out what in the hell was so special about it (or if it even was). The cons, a bruised ego. The latter nearly outweighed any good that may have come out of it, but she’d decided perhaps it was time to prove to the businesswoman that she wasn’t one that cowered easily.

And that was exactly the message she sent walking into Hellish Delights that day. Zelda had on her most striking ensemble: a fitted deep blue dress with a cheetah printed ribbon just at the hip that matched her shoes, her hair done to roller perfection, and a pair of sunglasses that she hoped feigned indifference. Neither did she intend to relax her posture, knowing the little difference in height would help with what she was trying to achieve.

A light bell rang as she entered, and she held back a gasp at the store’s ambiance. If she wasn’t so upset by it, even she would admit that it was a gorgeous place. Immediately as she entered, the smell of coffee filled the air that could be credited to the fresh bag of beans displayed by the counter. Everything was made of a deep brown wood – the floors, the stairs, even the counter where people would pick their orders up when a small contraption they’re given upon paying would buzz. The second floor looked like it could be part of a treehouse, and the decoration so tastefully curated that it completed the whole look. 

Still, the redhead fought hard not to register her awe on her face. Not even the brunette that walked toward her could’ve broken through her icy exterior; if anything, it helped Zelda remember herself. With open arms, Lilith greeted her right at the door wearing a smile that caused Zelda to roll her eyes behind her glasses. She looked all too pleased with herself. 

“Zelda Spellman, I never thought I’d live to see the day you finally come into my little store,” Lilith says as she approached, heels clicking behind her.

“Neither did I,” Zelda replies sharply, sliding her shades off from her eyes and into her purse, head tilted slightly upward as she did. 

“Come, come, let’s head upstairs to the best table in the house. I’ll be joining you, if you don’t mind?” Lilith said with a smile so bright, Zelda let the possibility pass that she was actually excited to see her.

“I do, but I don’t plan on staying long,” was the redhead’s response, but even in its slight rudeness the brunette’s smile beamed, linking her arm with her guest’s as they climbed up the stairs and onto the table that overlooked the whole store. In the blink of an eye, Lilith had brought up two coffees, a braided egg bread along with their specialty, Devil’s Food Cake, for dessert. Lilith rest her head on her hands, elbows on the table to watch as the redhead ate; her face had a bright expression on.

“Go on, dig in! I’m dying to know what you think,” Lilith encouraged, and at the prompt Zelda picked her utensils up to see what all the fuss was about. And  _damn it all to hell,_ it was good. The ingredients obviously from various parts of the world, and each baked or roasted to perfection. It was world class stuff, to say the least, that the small town of Greendale was obviously happy to oblige.

Even if she couldn’t keep it from her face, she wouldn’t give Lilith the satisfaction of hearing how impressed she was. Instead, she dabs her lips with a napkin before saying, “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”  

Lilith seemed to see right through her, leaning back into her chair. Subtly, but unmistakably, the brunette’s gaze changed; under it, Zelda felt completely naked.

There was no point. She knew that the other woman  _knew_  the undeniable truth. With a heavy sigh, Zelda crosses her arms to defend herself from what she was to admit next. “It’s…exquisite. All of it. There, I’ve said it. Are you happy now?”

But Lilith’s expression remained unreadable. This little victory didn’t seem to mean much to her, and that more than anything caught Zelda off guard, knowing that she herself would rub it on the other’s face if she was on the winning end of their funny little rivalry. The brunette merely stared at her, and the silence that passed them made Zelda uneasy in her seat. After what felt like forever, Lilith finally leaned forward, closing the large distance between them to whisper so low that only Zelda could’ve heard what she had to say.

“You’re different from the others, Zelda. I’m really quite intrigued by you.”

Despite herself, Zelda felt her cheeks burn a bright red that was sure to show against her pale skin. Her jaw clenched, and she found herself at a loss for words. That was quite the rarity.

What was  _that_  supposed to mean?

The redhead cleared her throat, and fought to look away from the other’s intense stare as she found her tongue once again. “Well, this has been pleasant. I really should get going.” With that, she stood and waited for the other to do the same. Lilith tilted her head down slightly before getting up herself, extending a hand for Zelda to shake.

Out of the kindness of her own heart, Zelda obliges, intending for it to be as brief as her stay was, but the other held onto her hand for a second longer and – to the redhead’s surprise – Lilith brings it up to her lips for a brief kiss before letting go. Zelda feels blood rush to her face even harsher than before, quickly fiddling with her bag to find her shades in an attempt to hide just how pink she surely became.

“It was a pleasure having you, Ms. Spellman. Do visit again, when you get the chance,” Lilith says smoothly, walking Zelda to the door.

“Yes, yes, goodbye,” the redhead rushed to say, not turning back before leaving the store entirely.

 The open air of the outside world filled her lungs, though she wished it was cigarette smoke filling it instead as she was sure to smoke like a chimney that night. What in the  _hell_  was that all about? Was she…flirting with me? Zelda entertained the thought briefly, but concluded that she was merely being toyed with. She couldn’t believe how flustered Lilith made her, it was incredibly unsettling. The woman made her feel things that she couldn't understand nor decipher - there was a fine line, it seemed, between rage and (dare she say) flattery that came with Lilith's words. Feeling them towards a woman that was equally as elusive, however, posed to be the greatest challenge of all.

 

Zelda tried not to think about it any longer but not even bakery work could clear her mind of that morning’s events, nor Hilda’s Hilda-ness. The drive home was a blur, even, as her visit replayed in her mind on repeat. Only Sabrina’s report that she’d received the recipe to the Devil’s Food Cake via email brought her back to reality, immediately asking that it be forwarded to her, fully intending to replicate it herself. Baking was never her strong suit, but she didn’t want to ask for her sister’s help – this was something she had to do herself. Donning her apron and preparing what ingredients she had available, save for some specific chocolates that one had to travel halfway across the world for, Zelda went to work.

It may have been her rusty – if not non-existent – baking skills, her inferior ingredients, her distracted mind, or all of the above that didn’t garner the results she expected. Frustratingly, Zelda cursed into the empty kitchen and threw what concoction she’d come up with into the trash, apparently making a racket loud enough to lure Hilda into the kitchen.

“Zelds?” she cooed as softly as she could.

“Hilda, can’t you see I’m a little busy in here,” Zelda snapped, moving around frantically to eliminate any trace of what she’d tried to do a few minutes ago.

 “Yes, would you like a little help cleaning up, love?” the blonde asked, but was already at work with dusting the counter and cleaning out the discarded egg shells. 

 “It really is as good as people say. I _hate_ it. And Mrs. Tapper didn’t pass by the bakery again today and, and –“ Zelda stuttered, eyebrows furrowing in her frustration before turning to her sister who knew exactly what she meant without having to ask, “and this damn Devil’s Food Cake. God, Hilda, what are we going to do…”

It was rare for Zelda to break down her walls down from the inside, but when she did Hilda was always ready to reassure her sister the best way she knew how. Reaching out to rest a hand on the redhead’s shoulder, she says. “Well, we sold out the cheese rolls today! That’s a bit of good news, hm? And ooh, Dr. Cerberus asked if we wanted to supply his cookies so that’s exciting!” It did little to lift Zelda’s spirits, instead she could feel warm tears gathering in her eyes. But Hilda knew she was listening. “Business aside, people  _love_  our pastries, Zelds. Yes, impressed with Hellish Delights, but Spellman Sweets is  _part_  of their lives. We’ve been around a long time…and we’ll stay around for even longer.”

The blonde hugged her tight before Zelda could protest, even finding herself unopposed to the contact, so much so that she didn’t hold back from crying any longer. The moment of vulnerability didn’t last long, as she quickly wiped the tears off before patting the other’s hand in response. 

“Get back to Dr. Cerberus to say we’d be happy to. You can handle the specifics tomorrow.” The redhead’s voice was back to normal that it made Hilda smile brightly in response. Zelda quickly focused on getting the kitchen clean before walking off to the bathroom to get settled for the night. 

“Oh, and Hilda,” she yelled across the hall as if as an afterthought, “tell Ambrose to learn how to use an espresso machine. I’m ordering one tonight.”

 "Okeedokee!" Hilda gleefully responds, before realizing what she heard. "Wait, what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh, sexual tension is in the air! lilith's gonna get more flirty after this I promise :D enjoy!


	4. don't be afraid to take whisks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your kind comments from the last chapter! It really made me smile and helped me continue writing :3 a big uwu to you all

What better way for Zelda Spellman to start the day than to yell at a bunch of incompetent buffoons over the phone for delivering their much awaited package, which was already 2 days late, to the wrong address.

Of course, it was Zelda who punched in said wrong address, but nobody was going to tell this firecracker that she was _mistaken_.

Still, they had already left it at the Spellman home porch assuming nobody was home (but really just wanted to get away from that scary looking house) – to this, Zelda berated at their carelessness – and were well over half an hour from the home already. After getting the final word in, the redhead smashed the phone back into the wall and stormed out of the bakery in all her leftover fury. With a smash of the car door and the screeching of tires behind her, she was off.

The commotion had caught a certain neighbor’s attention. Head tilted low, Lilith got a glimpse of Zelda before she disappeared in a dust of smoke. _Where was she off to?_ Knowing full well her schedule by now – in the bakery by 8, to the groceries by 1, and staying past 6:30pm to do her bookkeeping – this particular activity was not in the woman’s usual agenda. Though only having known her for a few weeks and exchanging words so few times she could count them in one hand, Lilith knew one thing for sure: if Zelda was anything, she was a woman of strict routine.

The businesswoman concluded that, in every sense of the word, Zelda was fierce competition. Drop her in the big city in the same position as Lilith, it would be war between the two – a scaled up version of the one they’re currently fighting in this dainty little town. Zelda had the grit for tough situations, and she was as menacing and admirable as the fort she’d built around herself. She was the image of prim and perfect, one that dressed to impress, and through subtle cracks in her façade Lilith knew the delicate woman she could be.

Lilith caught herself lifting a brow in intrigue, and impatiently tapping her toes for the next hour until the woman came back. It suddenly occurs to her how silly she feels, perhaps something that could be attributed by how often Zelda Spellman was on her mind.

So what Lilith had imparted to said woman in their last exchange was not at all a lie; in fact, to say she was intrigued was gross understatement. In reality, she found that there was not one thing about Zelda Spellman she didn’t absolutely like. No buttons she daren’t press. No crack she herself didn’t want to cause.

To cut off such in depth thoughts was the very woman they revolved around, all smiles and sunshine coming out of her car. Without giving it much thought, Lilith walks out to the street to greet her at a distance.

“Ditching work in the middle of your shift, Ms. Spellman?” the brunette teased, hands on her hips as she leaned against her café door.

Based on all their previous interactions, Lilith half expected a snappy reply and an eyeroll, but the smile on Zelda’s face refused to disappear – it occurs to her this is perhaps the first time she’d seen her smile.

“Only for a quick joyride, really, this one couldn’t wait ‘til the end of the day,” Zelda replies in equal jibe, tossing her big curled hair to the side before opening the trunk to eye what awaits her there. All boxed and shiny was the new addition to the Spellman Sweets menu: a coffee machine with too many buttons and parts for its own good. The pure excitement must’ve been written all over her face that Lilith couldn’t help but walk her way and inquire: “What have you got there?”

Suddenly, the brunette was beside her, hand raised to hold up the trunk with her hips curved in all her big city finesse, purposely getting into Zelda’s personal space. _Suddenly_ , she was far too near for Zelda’s liking, but she was too happy about her most recent purchase to care and _far_ too pleased with herself that the first to see the machine is the competition herself.

All smug and cocky, Zelda pats the box like a pet to show it off. “Oh, you know. Just a little coffee machine to shake things up at the bakery. Who knew people liked a little caffeine with their sugar?”

 _There she is._ Lilith grinned despite herself. “Never would’ve guessed myself.”

 

Not _one thing_ she didn’t like.

 

“Look at you, embracing the competition. Guess I’ve done my job at ruffling those feathers of yours, hm?” Lilith says in a tone that was subtle enough to mean a multitude of things based on who heard it. Judging by the ever so subtle blush on Zelda’s cheeks once she’d looked her head to foot, Lilith assumed she’d gotten her very _specific_ message across. 

 _Goddamn this woman and her effect on me,_ the redhead practically screamed in her own head. One glance would irritate her into oblivion, another smirk and she would die of a heart attack. But even after that slip up, Zelda raised her eyebrows in her claimed victory. She then turned her attention to the box. Having carried it once from the porch to the car was tiring enough, but she was too proud to admit that given her current audience. Gripping the package by its sides, Zelda – in all the gracefulness she could muster – lifted the heavy package herself.

“Need help?” Lilith offers. The answer, as she’d expected, “I’m perfectly fine doing it myself, thank you.”

Clearly, she wasn’t. The box was too tall for the redhead to see where she was going, but having to peer by its sides was throwing her off balance. Fashion over comfort paid the price today as she struggled in her heels, however low. The sight made Lilith chuckle to herself as she followed the woman’s path to the store.

“Do you know how to use the thing? I’d never completely mastered it myself,” Lilith brought up to distract from the redhead’s current task, only receiving a grunt as a reply.

“…though a woman of your skills, I’m sure you’ll figure it out in no time.” That earned her an eyeroll, and was that a hint of a smirk? Lilith finds that pushing Zelda’s buttons was proving to be an entertaining pastime, though she was sure that sentiment was not mutual.

Then there was the dilemma of the door. Already struggling with the box, Zelda insists on completing this task without the other’s help or she’d die trying. Leaning by the wall, the redhead attempts to free a hand by carrying the full weight in the other but that only resulted in her nearly dropping the Billion Dollar contraption.

Watching her struggle for just a few seconds more, Lilith glides in to open the Spellman Sweets door for her with a smile too polite to decline. Zelda mumbled a quick ‘thanks’ under her breath as she scanned for the nearest available table to drop the box in a loud _thump_.

“Ooh, is that what I think it is?!” Hilda squeals from the kitchen, dusting her hands on her apron before meeting her sister by the table.

Their young nephew follows quickly after to share in the excitement but couldn’t help but notice the presence of the woman that was still holding the door open.

“Ms. Lilith! We weren’t expecting you today,” Ambrose’s eyes quickly go from Lilith to Zelda and back to the brunette, “now.”

Lilith chuckled lightly, “You can drop the miss, silly. Unless you want to go for Madam instead…” a second to perfect the timing and she continued. “I kid. I was just here to help your aunt bring in your new coffee machine.” At that, Zelda fully rolls her eyes. She was about ready to rebut when the other woman adds, unexpectedly, “though she had it all under control.”

Lilith finished with a wink the redhead’s way. That had Zelda fuming. “Yes, but she was just leaving. Thank you for your ti—“

“Nonsense! Lilith, come on in! Maybe you can show us how to use the darn thing, too if that’s alright?” Hilda waves her hands and asks in a voice so angelic, how could anyone refuse. Not even Lilith could say no to that.

But if not only for the sake of helping the dear woman she considered a frequent customer and a fond acquaintance, it was also to tread deep waters she and her ‘competition’ were currently in. _Which button would this press?_

“Why not! I’d be happy to, but only if you don’t mind of course…” Lilith says with a grin, one that morphed into an expression similar to puppy dog eyes when she’d turned to address Zelda.

Prim and perfect forgotten, Zelda’s mouth was ajar at the scene before her. Lilith in _her_ bakery, talking to _her_ sister, offering to teach the family to use _her_ coffee machine. If she could snap the woman’s neck she’d have done it right then and there. But she had to admit she didn’t know how to use the damn thing, and it would really help… Hell, she’d already dropped her pride once, what would she lose to do so again?

Now, though, she was stuck. With both Hilda and Ambrose radiating excitement at the proposal and the current dilemma of working the machine at hand, Zelda but shut her mouth tight and lifted her hands up as if to say ‘ _why the fuck not?_ ’

The three smiled and went to work on the box. Hilda grabbed the scissors and mumbled that Ambrose be careful with them. Styrofoam squeaked and was thrown at the floor to give way to papers and plastics until, finally, full metal machine. It was so shiny, so new and looked daunting against the rustic little bakery. The young man plugged the thing in and a delicious whirring sound filled the room. Hilda clapped quietly as she watched.

“First thing’s first, we’re going to need the beans,” Lilith says confidently, looking around for anything that resembled a sack of them. Funnily enough, it was right by the counter where Zelda leaned and kept her distance. Eyeing her carefully – getting a heavy frown back in return – Lilith tilts her head to the direction of the beans.

Zelda wasn’t able to hold back then. “For Satan’s sake,” she cursed as she grabbed the bag and stomped her way to the table to hand it to the brunette.

“Thank you, Zelda,” she says, brushing her fingers on cold pale ones before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

There was much talk of how to get the beans grinded – _‘good thing you purchased one with a grinder built in!’_ ; Zelda lifts her head at that, of course she did – and which parts went where. With Lilith showing them the ropes, it didn’t seem at all complicated. She’d noted the many different ways to play around with milk, how to get it to foam, how to get to the corners to clean the machine to keep it at tip-top shape.

Zelda barely listened to specifics; she was sure the two would remember them for her. It was Lilith she was watching intently. She had nothing to gain for doing this, in fact she had much to lose from it. It didn’t come as a surprise to her that the woman liked to play with fire – Lilith seemed to hold up pretty well against her, to say the least – but to help out of the kindness of her heart? No, there was something to be earned from such a move. As to what it was, she could not pinpoint.

 

Little did she know, it was the interaction they were to have just a few minutes after that quick tutorial.

 

When Hilda and Ambrose – who had then filled up their respective notepads with Lilith’s instructions – bid the woman goodbye with plenty thanks to fill a girl’s heart, it was just about time to close up shop. Tomorrow seemed far away along with the debut of the Spellman Sweets coffee special, and the departure of the other Spellmans an even longer ordeal. Zelda was itching to be alone, itching to grab her phone to confront the woman for the nth time, itching for answers.

The other line rang, but no one picked up. She tried two more times before giving up. Just when she was about to dial one more time, a text message came through.

 

 _Want to come over, instead?_  

 

Zelda had half the mind to refuse, but the temptation to scratch at what surface she could was far too great and the _gravity_ that pulled her to do so even greater.

Pulling her coat on, the redhead locks up for the night and crosses the street toward a dimly lit Hellish Delights. The silhouette was unmistakable; she’d memorized it by now. Walking towards her felt daunting, _dangerous_ as she knew eyes were following her in the night across the window. Zelda took a deep breath when she reached the door, finding it unlocked. It was cold then warm again when she’d entered the café from the unforgiving air outside, except for the shiver that rolled down her spine before she could collect the confidence she needed for this confrontation – except the cool blue eyes that stared at her.

Lilith knew to give Zelda the first word. 

“What are you up to?” A statement that bit harshly.

“I’m not up to anything, Ms. Spellman,” the brunette acted oblivious.

“Bullshit. You realize you’re jeopardizing yourself helping us today, and I know you wouldn’t do anything if it didn’t play out in your favor in the end.” Zelda sounded so sure, but it was immediately negated by the smirk that seemed to ghost around the corners of Lilith’s lips. “So I ask again: what is it you want?”

“Plan this, jeopardize that; you think so highly of me, dear,” stepping forward yet maintaining a safe distance from the woman before her, Lilith just smiles lightly, keeping up the act she’d chosen for this exchange. “All I really wanted was to help a few friends today, that’s all.”

Friends. Zelda scoffed at the word. Her impatience was building and so was her nerve that allowed her to look right into Lilith’s impossibly blue eyes. “You may have tricked my family – this whole _town_ – into believing your lies but not me. No, I see you.”

As inappropriate as it was for the moment, Lilith could’ve blushed. That was such a _romantic_ thing to say.

“The way you woo my niece and nephew and, today, my own sister. The way you watch my bakery… The way you—you..”

“The way I what?” Lilith whispered in what seemed like concern. Without warning though awfully slow, Lilith closes a significant amount of distance between then that made Zelda’s words catch in her throat. It didn’t help that each refused to let go of the other’s gaze, erasing what was left in the redhead’s voice that she could only now say in her head.

‘—the way you watch _me_. _Look_ at me. Push my buttons and pull away so suddenly before you could do any real damage. The way you stare like you know me, smile like you know exactly what I’m thinking – what I’m trying to hide… How quickly you get under my skin, how – without knowing why – I’d let you stay there…’

The redhead is then struck with a truth she’d never admit to herself: Lilith had a way of making Zelda hate her, yet she finds she couldn’t get enough of her either.

Lilith was watching her so closely that she was scared she was reading her mind, fearing that she could. It was when the other woman – though only for a mere millisecond – fluttered her eyelashes to guise the unmistakable glance she took at red lips mere inches from her own that short circuited Zelda’s brain. As if on instinct, the redhead took a step back, filling tense air between them with silence.

Lilith also seemed to get her bearings, blinking hard and fast before looking towards Zelda who looked as winded as she did carrying the box that morning.

“Zelda,” Lilith starts, not knowing exactly where to go from there. “I apologize if what I did earlier today offended you. I…really just wanted to help.”

That was exactly what Zelda came for. Answers earned, yes, but she was leaving with more questions than she could comprehend. Some of them, about her own self.

“Very well,” Zelda sighed in defeat, turning to leave without looking back.

The redhead was out of breath. She felt faint walking to her car, unsure if she could drive on such uneasy legs. The fatigue of the day nearly made her miss the brochure held down by the windshield wiper of her car:

 

_Baxter High Carnival_

_Sunday Funday!_

_Reserve your stall reservation today!_

 

It was like a much needed angel sent from above, or devilish sign from below. Either way, both knew they were back in their dizzying game as Lilith found one brochure of her own folded by her door. Knowingly, both Lilith and Zelda glance back at each other even if night vailed what their faces would’ve said. The game was still very much on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took a while! work is crazy and I've been having a sort of artistic drought as of late but here it is!!!
> 
> kudos and comments would really make my day


	5. let them eat cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Baxter High carnival

One wouldn’t have recognized Baxter High that Sunday morning if the dreary brown hue of its walls didn’t peek out against the bright banners of every color that hung against it. Miraculously, the sun fought its way past Greendale’s stubborn veil of clouds to illuminate the bright red stripes of each tent, as if to breathe new life into a gloomy town. Teenagers – in all their youth and vigor – dominated each challenge posed by stacked cans and balloons waiting to be popped, for the sake of a prize for their sweethearts or mere bragging rights. Some, taking full advantage of the kissing booth or or sneaking off into emptied halls to enjoy another sort of festivity.

It was all cotton candy and laughter in the air, but so was the palpable tension between Spellman Sweets and Hellish Delights.

As if the organizers conspired against the two, their booths were positioned right beside each other along with a simple looking lemonade stand run by the senior citizen club down the street from the school. Each booth required to don banners and balloons meant to camouflage the stalls with the background, but neither bakery refused to give up their own distinct characters in the process.

Spellman Sweets’ booth looked just as home-y as their original store – as if it was compressed to pocket-size – with its lace tablecloth and various baking materials to brighten up the one table they were given. Baked goods were displayed in baskets and the coffee machine whirred in the back where Ambrose stood. Hilda stood by the front to give free samples away with a smile that matched the carnival’s spirit, while Zelda stood behind to handle whatever else could go wrong.

To her, the only thing wrong so far was the table beside their own, where Hellish Delights stood proudly. How it was possible for the other to get  _two_  tables, Zelda didn’t know – but whoever organized this cursed event was sure to receive an earful from the redhead by the end of the day. More space meant more room to decorate with lavish velvet tablecloth, to set up much bigger equipment and even a cooling fan for the army of people behind the tables.

Zelda scoffed whenever she would see Lilith lounging about, talking to guests that would pass by or scurry away for a fun game of ring toss. When she came back with a plate she guessed she won at one of those silly games, Zelda couldn’t help but Fully roll her eyes.

It wasn’t as if the Spellman was chained to the table before her, glued in her place the whole day. Ambrose would sneak off every so often when the crowds thinned to Satan knows where. Hilda would explore the grounds, even coming back with a bright yellow cup of Lemonade in hand – to that, Zelda grumbled ‘ _really_?’ Sabrina was a hopeless case, busy with her boyfriend Nicholas and passing by only for a quick ‘ _hi aunties, bye aunties_.' 

But Zelda, she stayed put, not moving even a foot away from their table, watching and observing – and Lilith noticed.

On the rare occasion that Zelda’s eyes, or the corners of them, were not watching her, the brunette would leave tidbits of the carnival by Zelda’s side of the table – whether it be a small keychain she won at a game of darts (she herself being surprised at how good she was at it), or a bucket of popcorn by her side during lunch that she delightedly witnessed Zelda take one or five pieces from discreetly when she thought no one was watching.

 When their eyes  _did_  meet, Lilith was nothing less than cheerful, ignoring the fact that today was dividing day between the two rivaling stores. To Zelda, at least; its intensity preventing her from having any fun at all. So Lilith brought the fun to her, subtly at first but the third time always seemed to be their lucky charm.

So as the sun slowly transitioned from a harsh ray to a calming glow, Lilith boldly approaches the woman – even as they were practically beside each other behind their respective tables.

In all her natural rigidity, Zelda stiffen a little more when she saw Lilith right in front of her before she could argue. Thankfully, she was at a healthy distance that she could still catch the breath that always seemed to want to run away when Lilith got close.

“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” It was outright flirting and Lilith knew it. And Lilith knew Zelda knew, but whether she was referring to the more gothic aura Zelda emanated in her all-too-dark garb that choked her body just right or anything else, the redhead couldn’t care less.

“I don’t have time to be distracted today, Lilith,” Zelda spoke so matter of factly, it should’ve wiped the smirk off Lilith’s face clean but it only grew bigger.

“Do I distract you, Zelda Spellman?”

Why, in Hell’s name, was everything that left her mouth in  _that_  tone in  _that_  voice so charged with something feral and seductive. And  _why_  was Zelda suddenly weak in the knees.

Lilith says as she leaned in even so slightly but only to grab a piece of popcorn that grew cold in Zelda’s vicinity. At the statement-movement combo, Zelda took a sharp breath in – she should’ve been used to it by now, really, or at least knew it was coming, but she never did and it left her jolting every time.

By the power of her annoyance, she spoke again – firmer this time. “Don’t you have somewhere  _else_  to be that doesn’t involve polluting my space?” With the statement, she wraps her arms around herself.

“I do, actually!” Lilith spoke in an all too cheery tone. “I’ve been meaning to try my hand at the little rubber duck shooting range just around the corner. Was wondering if you care to join me?”

The way Zelda stared back would’ve embarrassed whoever was at the other end of it easily, a clear rejection that didn’t need words. But Lilith wasn’t humiliated a tad bit – and she didn’t wait for words in reply for she knew there were not going to be any.

“I just thought a feisty woman like yourself would know how to handle a gun. Unless I’m mistaken.” The bait has been tossed, and she waited for Zelda to bite.

Lowering her hands from in front of her to her hips, Zelda cocked her head to the side by the other’s doubt in her possibly non-existent gun wielding skills. She hadn’t had practice, sure, but if the sales of bread and coffee weren’t going to wipe that smug expression off Lilith’s face, a plastic gun surely would.

And bite she did. Hard. “If I claim to be anything, it’s a sharp shooter – in every sense of the word.” 

Zelda walked ahead, the bright red of the back of her head the only thing Lilith could read as they approached the tent – it told her all she needed to know; Zelda was out for blood. Shooing the children away from beside her, the redhead grabs the sniper-shaped plastic and aimed silently, taking her time to get this right.

It didn’t help that she could  _feel_  Lilith watching her, as she always did. Bright blue eyes walked over her skin in lounging strides; she felt it at the tip of her fingers where she cradled the trigger.  _Focus_.  _Breathe_. But when she felt warm breath at the back of her neck, she couldn’t. And slight contact at the small of her back – a hand – she sharpened her eyes at an orange bill and pulled the trigger.

To her surprise and that of the woman behind her, a duck fell down in a devastating and pathetic squeaky whine. And Zelda smiled as she blasted through the round, more than half of the multicolored pellets meeting a duck to put each out of their misery. When she was done, she put on a well deserved victory on her face to meet the other’s gaze.

“I’m impressed,” Lilith says with raised eyebrows, quickly fading to a dark look, “but not impressed enough. Watch and learn dear.”

In one smooth motion, Lilith had the gun in her hand and angled her head to aim as best she could. Her first attempt: a stray bullet hitting nothing but air. She could hear an ‘ _oof’_  beside her, soft enough that she was the only one who could hear, and it made her grin against the plastic toy. And so she missed again, and again – whether on purpose or not, she herself didn’t know –  and she felt the woman beside her relax into her newly claimed sharp shooting throne. Sighing, she turns back to Zelda who immediately had something to say.

“I’m sure this isn’t your first time…”

“To shoot rubber ducks? Well not strictly sp-“

“To be mistaken,” Zelda interjects, and it was the last nail to the coffin before Lilith lowered her head both in defeat and to hide the blatant grin on her face. And maybe even a blush.

What was a carnival game without a prize? Zelda beamed when she was handed a silly looking stuffed dog. “How very fitting,” the redhead exclaimed, play petting the plushie that reminded her of dear Vinegar Tom. Lilith’s heart melted at the sight.

Their gaze meets and the brunette wanted to believe she put that bright sparkle in those green eyes. But she would soon be the reason it disappeared as soon as it came.

Content in her victory, Zelda turned back to look toward the two stalls she’d momentarily forgotten about. What she found made her want to sob then and there. Teens and teachers alike crowded in front of Hellish Delights to grab the much awaited two-for-one drink promo; so dense was the crowd you could barely see the two tables behind them. Miserably, her own bakery stood abandoned and bare save for the drinks and pastries that remained untouched and unsold.

Dividing day.

Lilith completely forgot about the little marketing strategy, and she knew all too well what it looked like having lured Zelda away from her table at the time. Certainly, Zelda saw it that way. The younger of the two calmly handed Lilith the stuffed animal and walked away quietly. No fury, no eyerolls, no sharp words exchanged. And that was dangerous – Lilith knew that much.

The brunette debated on whether she should trail behind, looking into the dog’s beady plastic eyes for answers. They seemed to have said yes, compelling her to follow Zelda shortly after to find her leaning against the wall of the school gymnasium, cigarette lit rebelliously like a wayward teenager.

“It’s not what it looks like…” Lilith began, but her statement was only met by a hand raised to block out anything else.

“Don’t. Say. A word.” That was an order, and Zelda took a long drag to fill lungs she wanted to numb.

Not a single thing was said, verbally or otherwise, until the redhead finished with her current stick. Her eyes were shining now, but in a different way – in the glassy way they shone when fighting off tears.

“My mother always told me that there was nothing to be valued more than family –“ Zelda began. Where this was coming from and why, she didn’t know – but she supposed she’d never faced defeat too often to know that losing caused walls to break down. “She…told me to preserve recipes my great great grandmother made while still letting my sister try her own hand at new innovations.” A pause when her voice cracked. Lilith wanted to say something,  _anything_ , but all she could do was watch and listen as Zelda crumbled before her. “When mother was gone, my brother repeated the same thing over and over, until he was gone – and then there was less and less family to value.”

Despite her best efforts, a tear escapes its prison and down Zelda’s pale cheek. She doesn’t bother to wipe it away. “This bakery is all I have of them now. They both trusted me with it, but of course I- “

Yes  _I_ , for she so wanted to blame Lilith for all of this but she knew she couldn’t. This was her fault and no one else’s.

“It’s during  _my_  time that Spellman Sweets sees its end.”

There would’ve been a time when Lilith will have felt a deep satisfaction at the demise of competition, in this town, in this business. The gratification of victory, sweet. But as Zelda Spellman cried in front of her, frame trembling in failed restraint, Lilith  _prayed_  that she could crawl into new skin if only to say she was never the person who would feel such a thing or intend for any of her past vicious ways to befall Zelda.

It was Lilith’s turn to freeze as cogs turned in her head. No rational thoughts or words came to mind, but she was sure of one thing and one thing only that came from deep in her gut.

Not even the fear of a violent reaction held Lilith back from completely closing the well established gap they’ve held sacred until then. It was a gamble when arms wrapped around Zelda tightly and a soft tug that melded them together, finally.

And it was warm in her arms, Zelda had to admit – she so needed to be held, even if it meant that it was by the person that played a part at unhinging her. She didn’t think as she melted into Lilith’s touch, even hugging tighter to hide her face that was now damp with tears. But she didn’t need rationality to  _know_  that this felt  _right._

They were so close together, it felt like electricity to Lilith; she wished that it was, then she would have a way to take any negative energy from the woman in her arms and take it away, as her own if the need be. Suddenly the curiosity and attention she paid Zelda all made sense: all she really wanted when she pushed the other’s buttons was for Zelda to end up right here, in her arms – broken and fragile and bare. In direct consequence, so was she herself, and together they will mend what they had both mutually demolished: themselves, in the guise of a bakery war.

They pushed each other to the very edge of either’s limits and this was the cliff, but both of them knew no one was falling anywhere else but for each other.

With one final squeeze, Lilith pulls away to look Zelda dead in the eye. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long! kind of lost my muse for a bit but I hope this satisfies you guys that have been here from the very beginning! Thank you so much for reading and would love for some comments and kudos <3


	6. they see me rollin', they hatin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOOD LORD WHERE DO I BEGIN I just have to say I'm sorry for taking so fuckin long cause college is a bitch!!!!!!!!! But here are over 3000 words to make up for that long wait!

Already breathless from the loss of contact, Zelda thought she’d completely lose her balance when those eyes – those _impossibly_ gorgeous blue eyes – stared right into her. It seemed the redhead put up little fight (or none at all) to prevent such vulnerability, something entirely unfamiliar yet, coming from Lilith, unexpectedly welcomed. Warm. 

Trust was not something that Zelda _did_. Much like love, it was a familial-bound and, even then, a highly guarded privilege. Exactly how Lilith managed to allow herself in when it was supposed to set off every alarm bell the younger woman set up over the years, as they did when the businesswoman barged into their little down with a corporate giant for competition, she didn’t know. It couldn’t have been anything less than magic that enabled Zelda’s little heart to let herself be seen as something other than auntie or cranky local bakery owner. There was always intrigue, _danger_ , fire when Lilith regarded her. It empowered her, Zelda realized, that it was almost inevitable that the only woman that could build her back up was Lilith.

To keep what semblance of balance she had left, Zelda held herself up by the brunette’s arm, her own green eyes asking all the questions she couldn’t quite put into words by the multitude of them. There was reassurance with a tingle of mischief in the smile Lilith gave back, not answering anything quite yet. _Damn_ , this woman always kept her on her toes.

And quite literally too for the next thing the redhead knew, she was flying out the gymnasium – past the busy carnival, the bakery carts, crowds, and colors – and into Lilith’s car. Only then was Zelda unable to hold back.

“Lilith, I can’t just leave Hilda back there! She’ll wonder where I am, and Satan knows both Ambrose and Sabrina won’t be much help with cleaning up. And where are we going anyway? I left my purse and everything and would much rather not lose anything –“

Preoccupied at such interrogation with nobody at the receiving end but the wind, Zelda didn’t have time to think before Lilith’s lips were on her cheek. Burning, burning, as light as they were on her skin. And then everything burned inside her. She shut her eyes, mouth agape at the futile attempt to breathe, if she could even remember how to. But the moment faded too soon, before she could lean in and sink further, disappear into her, kiss her back…

To punctuate the end of the moment, which really just began with Lilith reaching to Zelda’s side for the seatbelt, was the dull _click_ when she was buckled in. Lilith looked as flushed as the other, and it was clear by how she hesitated to pull away that she was just as surprised at the moment’s end. Yet she smiled, softly – how sweet she was, and how gentle with her – then spoke. 

“Just trust me.”

There was that word. Suddenly the car was too small and too warm. All Zelda could do was nod.

The car ride back to the Spellman home was a quiet one, even as thoughts and questions ran through both women’s minds throughout. Zelda rolled down the window for the much needed air and Lilith put the radio on to ease the tension somehow. They would share glances, some coincidences at their overlapping stolen looks towards each other, each ending with both bashfully turning away.

When the house appeared amidst the trees, Zelda let out the breath she hadn’t realized stayed trapped in her chest. Lilith quickly runs to the other side of the car to open the door for Zelda, both walking up to the porch with the latter pushing the hesitant redhead on.

“I’ll be going back for Hilda and the rest. And your purse. Just sit tight and relax,” Lilith says lightheartedly, already turning away before Zelda held her by the arm.

“Wait.” Lilith turned her full attention back to Zelda. This must have seemed too much for the other, hell the cogs in Lilith’s own brain were still turning trying to figure out just what it was she would do about the mess she’d made.

“You don’t have to do this. You’ve done business, fair and square,” Zelda says defeated, arms shrugging. As much as Lilith wanted to shut her up again with another kiss, maybe somewhere that would make her quiet for longer, she resisted, wanting to give her results before anything else. Instead, she lays her hand over Zelda’s.

“Oh, but I do. I _want_ to.”

The truth was, this was for Zelda as much as it was for her own self. This was a project she actually _wanted_ to take on. With the vicious quota a woman of her position was given per annum by Morningstar Inc., as arranged by her even more unforgiving boss Lucifer, it was either success or the chop. There is never room for the in between. For far too long, Lilith has put herself on the line to serve Lucifer’s purpose (that borderlined world domination by the scale of expansion the business sought), forgetting her own dreams and ambitions and interests.

Luckily, Zelda has sparked that interest, therefore becoming the very center of her newfound ambitions. So yes, Lilith was going to do this, whatever the consequences.

With a playful wink, Lilith was off as quickly as she came. Zelda found herself frozen in place, touching the spot where Lilith met her skin. She burned again, and ached for a much needed cigarette.

 

 

The Spellman clan came home with wide smiles, trying to sneak in quietly so as not to disturb Zelda who was already keeping watch at the door like a hawk. There was no escaping her, was there. 

“There you are auntie! We were just about to call,” Ambrose says with an all-too-cheery look.

Hilda settles on the kitchen counter before turning to her sister. “Yes, we brought back some lemonade and popcorn. Oh, and your purse is in the Hearse – that’s quite funny, isn’t it, the rhyming and all – but yes it’s safely there in the car for you.” 

Zelda’s face was warped with confusion, and flushed light pink by the wine she allowed herself to indulge in while waiting. “Is _no one_ going to bring up the fact that I disappeared and ended up home without the car?”

Sabrina chuckles. “Auntie, we know—“

“KNOW! How tired you were! From the carnival! We all knew you needed some rest, isn’t that _right_ Brina?” Ambrose interrupted, wide eyed and hitting his cousin with his elbow, Hilda nodding insistently and smiling.

Zelda merely rolled her eyes, too buzzed and admittedly quite tired to try and decipher her family’s weird behavior. “Well I was, so I grabbed a cab and went home.” That was the story she’d decided to stick to, anyway.

Dropping her empty glass in the sink, she made her way up to she and her sister’s room, speaking as she punctuated each word with heavy steps. “You should all get some rest, we start bright and early tomorrow!”

When she disappeared from view, all three Spellmans left in the kitchen sighed a breath of relief.

 

 

Zelda was up earliest, brewing a cup of coffee and reading the morning paper. As her routine dictated, they were to leave the house at 7:45am to get to the bakery by 8am, an hour prep and to open at 9. As was the Spellman Bakery tradition. Staying true to their schedule, the day seemed destined to be like any other. Except with Lilith, something exciting was bound to happen just around the corner. 

True enough, there were two people in front of the Spellman Bakery, handing out glossy fliers to any and all passersby. Zelda would’ve swatted them away like flies if she didn’t see Lilith being one of them.

Knowingly, Zelda approached first while the other three snickered and whispered behind her. Upon spotting the redhead approaching, Lilith gave her a wide smile and reached out to hand her a flier of her own.

“Good morning, Ms. Spellman! Care for a flier on Spellman Bakery’s latest activities lined up for the week?” the brunette says, exquisite in her grey blazer and pencil skirt ensemble, hair in all its curled glory, lipstick to match her maroon silk top. Zelda ate the view up, forgetting the most intriguing bit of information she now held in her hand.

  

_Book Club Mondays_

_Ready to get those reading glasses on? Book discourse got a little sweeter with free cookies every session!_

_Tea Time Tuesdays_

_Coffee’s great and all, but buy tea every Tuesday and get another cup free!_

_Chatty Wednesdays_

_Lots on your mind? Let it all out with a meal to match._

_Artsy Thursdays_

_Sign up to learn how to draw, paint, or anything that gets that right brain going (and cupcakes for everyone that signs up for a class, yay!)_

_Film Fridays_

_Mostly horror films but also the funny, romantic, documentary types. And yes, we’ll be open past 6 for this just for you!_

 

 

“Lilith, this is…” Zelda began, and the statement was much too vague for Lilith’s liking. The latter looked on nervously, her big blue eyes trying to read the other, mouth already beginning to tremble with words to try and explain the rationale behind all the activities she had in store – like she was pitching to a millionaire investor right then and there.

Zelda saw what was perhaps the first glance of panic on Lilith’s cool exterior she’d ever witnessed. It melted her heart, and she met the other’s eyes with twinkling ones of her own. 

“Lilith, this is _amazing_. You planned this all overnight?”

The brunette chuckled at her own nerves, blinking quickly to get her bearings back. “Do you really think so? These are really just top-of-mind stuff we could do, but we can revise it no problem if you see something you want to change. And the fliers, well, I forced someone from a different timezone to whip something up and had it printed at an ungodly hour but I can make more throughout the week—“ It was Lilith’s turn to be flustered, even as the business should’ve steeled her nerves by now. Lest she forget, this wasn’t all business now.

Looking over the flier again, Zelda shook her head. “No, I think this is all perfect. Really. As for the _free_ stuff… well, I’m sure after you explain it to me I’ll be more or less on board with everything.”

Lilith couldn’t help but laugh. There she was, the feisty woman she fell for. “I can explain everything and more, see the financing won’t be a problem since the laws of supply and demand—“ the brunette’s voice faded as she and Zelda entered the bakery together, leaving Hilda, Ambrose and Sabrina behind to look at the flier themselves. The snickering and whispering continued, now with more excitement to fuel them.

It didn’t take long for Zelda to fully understand the principles behind each event for specific days – Lilith’s vast knowledge on the business landscape was second to none, and her guidance allowed for things to pick up quickly. Readjusting hours and inventory ratios happened nearly overnight by Zelda’s guidance and every Spellman’s excitement to amp up their beloved family bakery, upgrading it to cater to more modern standards.

The team’s (as Hilda liked to call them, including Lilith) hard work seemed to pay off fast. Fliers were flying off the counter and into every Greendale household, word was buzzing and it was Spellman Sweets on everyone’s lips. Mothers came on Mondays, Tuesdays the seniors' group, just about anyone came on Wednesdays, and the younger ones on Thursdays and Fridays. People came pouring in, some specifically for the new activities and others just for a taste of their new favorite cookie they got to try at the beginning of the week. 

The breath of new life filled their humble little bakery, and the woman that catapulted Spellman Sweets’ success in a matter of weeks now proudly watched its success behind the counter with Zelda and the Spellmans. She knows some regulars’ names by heart, and is even as chatty as the customers on Wednesdays herself. 

Lilith didn’t have to do any of this, but she was damn glad that she did. And so was Zelda, who now found herself helplessly falling for her and being quite sure of it this time.

Zelda recognized her feelings as true when Lilith once stayed with her past 6 as she did her usual bookkeeping. They sat in silence together, comfortably, the former with her nose to her logbook and the other with a glass of wine in her hand. Then Lilith stayed the next night, and the next, until neither couldn’t imagine the closed bakery without each other’s company.

 Once, well into this routine, Zelda dropped her pen and paper to share a drink with the other woman, laughing and talking the night away. Lilith brought her home that night. She found her buzzed and utterly beautiful.

Then a Film Friday passes and the bakery closes well past 6. Lilith puts another movie on while Zelda does the numbers. The redhead stares at Lilith, who was deeply invested in whatever movie was on. There was a gravity about her that night, one that made her sit beside the older woman and comfortably rest her head on her shoulder. Lilith wrapped her arm around her throughout the movie and Zelda heard her heart stammer in her ears, paying little attention to the movie at all. 

Finally, perhaps 4 weeks into their overwhelming success, Zelda finishes her numbers early and decides to clean the place for some reason. As to why, Lilith never knew, but she helped out anyway. The brunette comes across a beautiful picture of a woman clad in an apron, bright eyed like Hilda with features as striking as Zelda’s. Lilith didn’t mean to stare, but Zelda noticed and broke her trance.

“That’s my mother. Beautiful, wasn’t she?”

Lilith looked at the redhead brightly. “Very. You look so much like her…”

“Mmm,” Zelda replies, thoughtfully. Then came a long pause before she spoke again. “If only she could see us now.”

_Us._ Lilith felt an overwhelming sense of belonging by the word alone. To be included, to have a semblance of family, of having someone commend her for her heart and not just her monetary value – she could’ve cried then and there. Blue eyes blinked hard at the photograph trying to formulate her reply, as if asking permission. Lilith swallowed hard before answering, nervous with what she meant to ask. “Are you happy, Zelda? Now, with… us, all this?”

It sounded quite vague, and maybe delivered even more stupidly, but in the question was the brunette’s whole soul. All the layers of hope and doubt, there in those words, vulnerable and open for Zelda to address. It’s funny that, for all Lilith’s complexities, Zelda knew exactly what she meant. As clear as day and as sure as words could get. At the same time, Zelda knew exactly what she herself _felt_ for the other woman.

Suddenly the night was dead silent around them, holding its breath just as Lilith did. Distance to the two was a stranger now, with space needing to be filled by the other to be comfortable, but touch – touch was an entirely new species. Touch stung and burned, tingled and danced along their skin. It wasn’t tamed by the women just yet, but how each silently yearned within themselves that they would.

Zelda would be the first to dare to do just that.

Looking to Lilith lovingly, Zelda cups her face in both hands and pulls her in for a kiss. Lilith was stiff at first, but she melts into the redhead’s touch so naturally that one would’ve thought they’ve done this a million times before. When Lilith pulled Zelda closer by the waist, she responds with a soft whimper and the swift touch of her tongue to her own lips. Both have their eyes closed, swimming in the sheer electricity of the contact, memorizing the feel of the other’s lips as if their life depended on it. They pull apart and they are breathless, flustered and in absolute bliss – they smile at each other and eyes teary with tenderness.

Zelda forgets she’s still waiting on a reply in case their kiss was not enough of an answer. “Lilith, I’ve never been happier. For the bakery, nor _with anyone._ You’ve brought love and beauty in so many forms, _trust_ me when I say that…”

Lilith cried first, and she was smiling so brightly that Zelda couldn’t help but kiss her some more, again, and again on her lips and the corner of her eyes and on her flushed cheeks. It seemed as if all night was spent in loving touches and kisses, a daunting creature now fully theirs, embraced by the light waft of bread and butter in the air around them. Again, Lilith brought Zelda home that night and with one shy but sure kiss, they parted, each smiling well into the night and before they drifted to sleep.

The next day arrives and both women are vibrating with excitement to go back to work. Zelda’s cheery mood is sensed immediately in the Spellman household and the others ride gladly on this rarity, waking up to (burnt) eggs and bacon and coffee for everyone made by their auntie. Happy tunes are played in the car on the trip to the bakery, and there was one less of an eyeroll at a joke Hilda says on the road.

When Zelda and Lilith see each other from the street, the joy is palpable to anyone that witnessed them. Their eyes shone and there was a new glow around them that wasn’t quite there before. “Ms. Spellman,” Lilith says as she walked up to the Spellman car to greet her before walking in to the bakery together. “Lilith, what a surprise,” Zelda plays along gracefully exiting her car and nearly forgetting herself when she came close to her lover. “Hey, Auntie Lilith!” Sabrina cheers on, running quickly to hug Lilith before opening the doors to the bakery for the day while her Auntie Z was… more or less preoccupied at the moment.

What she found was to break the cheerful mood instantly.

“Auntie, you may want to have a look at this…” Sabrina says somberly. The tone did little to set off Zelda’s mood, but what she saw definitely did.

 

FORECLOSURE

ESTABLISHMENT CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICED

 

The locks were barred from even the Spellman’s keys, and there was no entering the establishment unless they broke in. Under the red sign on the door were letters barely decipherable from afar that said: UPON INVESTIGATIONS BY MORNINGSTAR INC. 

That name sounded familiar, Zelda had to revisit old memories to remember where she heard of the company. Until a dull lightbulb went off. In complete dismay, she looked to Lilith hoping to any god out there that this was not true. 

“You…you did this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp... I love pain, I guess hahaha thank you so so much for reading and staying as the story unfolds! Please do comment if you have the time, scream at me, tell me off or anything, would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far! Also, the next chapter will be concluding the story BUT I have a surprise last chapter (CH8) in store for everyone so YAY love you all, thanks for being here <3


	7. beet-rayal

Was it possible to know the sensation of falling while planted firmly on your own two feet? Lilith was sure the ground beneath her disappeared; her gut felt like it was in freefall, when Hilda’s gaze fell to hide the growing pool of tears in her eyes, when the affection shown mere milliseconds ago by Sabrina disappeared, when a wide eyed wordless Ambrose stood in shock.

But it was Zelda that made her feel like the very world stopped turning.

Under her gaze, Lilith always came undone. But never like this; not even when the other woman projected her fiercest self when their rivalry began. No, there was a hurt here – a betrayal in her cracked voice, in her puzzled eyes. Lilith saw how Zelda’s lips trembled, even from where she stood.

_I…I did this?_

Had she? So often had Lilith succumbed to the acceptance of failure by her boss that it was second nature to her to heel, admit fault, beg. The accusation and the name she’d sworn fealty to plastered to the bakery quickly triggered a switch she’d forgotten was there – at least for the months she’d been away, free even. Too soon did her words fail her, her usual quick wit nowhere to be found. _Maybe she’s right. This was my doing._

The brunette’s silence was taken differently by the head Spellman, who quickly turned around to tear the notice from the door and into her trembling hand. White knuckles and the bravery to step forward closed a significant amount of distance between the women; Lilith nearly got on her knees, for she didn’t know if they could hold her weight much longer.

“Did. You. Do. This.” Zelda’s pale hand shoved the page to Lilith’s chest. “Lilith, _answer_ me.”

“Zelda, I—“ the words died in her mouth, clutching the paper to her chest like it was her own heart. Why is it that everything she touched seemed to die? Everything that she did for herself, taken away? Looking past Zelda’s deathly gaze, she looked to the bakery. That was home, slipping from her fingers, and she was falling again… disappearing…

It was the sob that escaped Zelda’s lips that brought her back. The link between the chains on their beloved bakery door to Lilith was hard to ignore, undeniable, even. And so Zelda sobbed into her hands, which grew numb by the second. “I _trusted_ you…” she says in a small voice. “I let you in, into all of it…of me,” she hadn’t the time to concern herself that her whole family heard this – maybe it was time they did.

“Was this all a joke to you, then? Were we just pawns to your little game?” A fire brewed there, gradual but inevitable. “I should’ve known. Perhaps I always have…”

And as much as Lilith wanted to deny it all, swear she was innocent, fall to her knees or take her in her arms to say _No, no this was not a game, this means everything to me and I—I love you, I do. All of you, in this town and all that your family is. Please don’t be angry, I swear I’ve been good._

_“I swear I’ve been good…” Lilith heard herself say in a memory, when her chin was in the tight clutch of Lucifer’s hands. His office always smelled of something burning, as the violent fires always were when he regarded Lilith. “You better,” he hisses before letting his firm grip go. “No more mistakes, darling, or else…”_

It was all too vivid behind closed eyes that Lilith forgot where she was, only to see behind watery eyes that the Spellmans have retreated to their car when she braved to come back. Her vision cleared enough to see a regretful Sabrina look to her before they disappeared into the distance.

 

That was the last she’d seen of them for days.

 

No calls were exchanged, no follow up, explanations. Lilith cried on her bathroom floor too many a night, barely slept; the days stretched into a lifetime. Nor did Zelda make the effort to get some answers – she chased after them once before from Lilith, only to end up wondering if truth and trust mattered anymore. It was a storm so devastating that nobody could possibly walk through it to mend it unless, of course, you were the one that caused it.

There came a knock in the businesswoman’s cottage door, and an already sleep-deprived Lilith jumped at the notion of a visitor. It was a struggle to get to the door, let alone comprehend who it was that would want to see her at this hour. “Who is it?” she inquired, a drawl in her voice. No reply, but Lilith felt the impatience radiate through the wood. She cracked the door open slowly, and standing tall across from her was Lucifer himself.

“Hello, Lilith.” The brunette nearly fell back in instant submission, and fear. He walked in like he owned the place; Lilith could only bow her head to get a semblance of balance, step aside and _let him_. His footsteps seemed to echo in her ears, but his words were loud and clear.

“This cottage is…cute. Sorry about that, by the way. Booking something decent for you in this little town was a bitch,” Lucifer says with a chuckle, as if expecting Lilith to laugh right with him.

“It’s comfortable,” she says, hiding the tremble in her lips as best she can.

“Mmm, speaking of which, you’ve made yourself quite _comfortable_ during your stay here haven’t you?” There was a venom in his voice, invisible and lethal, but so long had Lilith been latched onto it that she’d grown accustomed to the burn it brought.

“The business is going well, I assur—“

He interrupts, “Helping out a local bakery from its own natural extinction. And getting the owner to fall in love with you to do it!” Lucifer clapped in delight, and Lilith visibly jumped. “A few days later, it falls to its knees in a legal battle. With a little help from me of course but – otherwise – it’s diabolical. Genius, even!”

Lilith chewed at her lip. She was crying, now. _This was…my doing…_

In a rare motion, Lucifer tenderly cups Lilith’s face in both his hands. His dark eyes were icier than her glassy blues. “I’ve trained you well, haven’t I?”

And normally, Lilith would bask in the attention and praise he gave her. She would take it, any of it, _craved_ for it – her brain had been wired to operate to please him. And from decades of conditioning her to think so, it worked in his favor, always. Normally, she’d have nodded by now, erased her doubts and agreed. _Praise Satan,_ she’d chant and kiss his hooves in worship.

Normally, she wouldn’t rip herself from his grip and disagree. Not until that night.

“I didn’t do this. I- I _wanted_ to help them, and we have so many _other_ stores anyway that I thought- I thought this one thing…”

Lucifer striked her hard across the face, breathing out hard before straightening his own tailored suit and running a hand through his hair. Lilith was too in shock to look back at him, and was only able to shield a burning patch on her face with her own hand.

“ ** _Lilith_** … _Lilith_ , Lilith, you foolish little thing. We wanted the world, and the world is what we’re going to get – one small town at a time. Pack up, we’re done here. I need you back in the head office to discuss new business opportunities.”

And like a gust of wind, he disappeared expecting her to follow. And she did, a day later. Only this time, she knew exactly what she was to do, what she _wanted_ to do.

 

* * *

 

The sound of a text resounded against the old Spellman home’s walls. They were at the dining table for dinner, and for so many a night it was silent until the ding of a phone shook them all. It was Sabrina’s cell. Rarely did the teenager interrupt dinner time, but the text read something so urgent, the blonde nearly flipped the entire table over to attend to it in her own room. Of course, she didn’t go without protest from her Aunt Zelda, to which she shouted her apologies as she ran up the stairs anyway.

It read: _Can I call you, Sabrina? I understand if you can’t._ It was from Lilith.

Without having to send a reply back, Sabrina merely called her herself. “Lilith! Hi, I called as soon as I can. I was at dinner but—“ she bit her tongue before she could mention anything about her Aunt Zelda, “yeah, anyway, hi!”

Zelda smiled at the sound of the girl’s voice. “Thank you for picking up, I really wasn’t expecting you to.” A pause. “Listen, I don’t have much time but… I’m going away for a while and just wanted to- to thank you. And if I could just ask you to…” she hesitated, “ _stay in touch_. If that’s okay?”

Sabrina simply agreed, and they hung up almost just in time before Zelda knocked at her door.

“Sabrina, is everything alright?” Sabrina stumbled to the door, with a smile much too big for the situation. “What was that about? Who was that?” Zelda inquired, a look of tired confusion on her face.

“Nothing! No one, don’t worry. I've got it under control.”

Zelda raises her brows in suspicion at first, but rolls her eyes instead, much too tired to argue. “That always means trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND SCENE!
> 
> I have to say all your comments over the past weeks have really inspired me to continue! in fact, I am so inspired that I've decided to split the last chapter into two AND still give a lil bonus chapter for your reading pleasure!
> 
> thank you all for reading, please do scream at me in the comments if you wish hahaha


	8. cinnamon girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE ARE! The last chapter to this story :')
> 
> I have to thank Nikka again for being the literal crackhead behind this crazy and beautiful AU! I also have to thank EVERYONE that has been here from the very beginning, for being so patient with me and so utterly supportive! And of course to everyone that has read this story so near and dear to my heart. Thank you so so much!

Days felt empty when they weren’t filled with the one thing that occupied most of the Spellman’s waking hours. It disrupted a carefully practiced routine, one that each came to adore as their own. One that they’ve very much associated to who they were. Now, time just… passed. And for it to be spent in the house for the usual 8 hours they’d be elsewhere was something that no one would admit to being unsettling.

For Zelda in particular, she’d grown fondly acquainted with an otherwise neglected liquor cabinet.

And so she drank – to remember to forget – in the silence of their home, amidst the chaos of her mind. Perhaps she drank to fill what empty portion losing the bakery left in her, and losing her… losing Lilith, coming to terms with her _losing_ what turned out to be a game, and the humiliation that came with it. Hilda had to steer the ship for the meantime, looking out for her sister in the silent ways she could while handling what paperwork to appeal the return of their business, which Zelda started before she let the reins loose. Sometimes, the care came in a cup of tea in the morning to mend a throbbing head, a blanket when she’d fallen asleep on the couch… One thing was for sure: not once did she see her older sister cry in front of her, but she heard her – through the crevices of old walls that Zelda thought would keep her secrets for her - and that was equally as heartbreaking.

One day in particular, when her patience had grown thin and the cabinet empty, Zelda had gone to the legal office herself to give the lawyer (whom they are paying god knows how much) an earful. Full garb on, hair in their proper curls, and make up as on point as the dark bags under her eyes would allow, she walks in with the usual air of confidence she always exuded – if only for show, at this point. She felt like herself again, doing what she did best.

“Ms. Spellman, I’m sorry progress is slow. There really is nothing I can do. Paperwork travels slow, especially with no representation of the said party based locally, all we can do and hope for is— “ 

“Her temporary residence is not 20 minutes from here; she’s as good as any to _represent_. You’re telling me she can’t spare a drive to respond to our appeals?”

The poor lawyer was sweating under her gaze, pulling out a handkerchief to dab excess beads on his forehead when he replied. “Yes, well, I believe Ms. Lilith left a few days ago and without—“

She never let him finish. “She what?”

What little stammering the man could respond with was drowned out by Zelda’s newfound rage. So, Lilith _ran_. How convenient. Zelda bit her tongue, putting up a dam in an effort to hold back the flood of emotions she was feeling. But she be damned if she ever showed it in such a drab place. Leaving an unseen trail of fire in her wake, Zelda found solitude in her car and cried. Cried like she never knew she could, the heartbreak kind of cries; never had the redhead felt like such a fool.

Ironically enough, Lilith was indeed running. In all her lavish stiletto-ed New York self, running past men in suits and buildings that loomed over her. She was running late for her appointment with Lucifer, but for good reason. This time, she wasn’t running in panic and fear of him; this was a race to freedom, to see the look on his face when she dropped the bombs at precisely 3 o’clock. And her hair flowed behind her, a smile growing in anticipation, hugging a pile of documents to her chest like they were her own heart.

Looking unfazed by her rush to his door, Lilith entered the office. The space always seemed to be dark, even with the sun shining bright out; hopefully it’s the last she’d ever see of it. Perhaps picking up on Lilith’s unusual energy, it was Lucifer that rose from his chair first to meet her halfway through the office. If Lilith didn’t know him any better, she would’ve dared to claim that he looked uneasy – the power shift was absolutely delicious.

Lucifer began, gripping his chin lightly when he regarded her. “I assume this is about our new property in Florida?”

And she couldn’t help it: Lilith smiled in response, in pseudo-obedience, her usual timid self when in front of him. “Yes, the papers are all set and ready to be processed.” To punctuate the line, she places the said papers in front of him. 

“Perfect, you’re set to fly out tonight. Get it done, Lilith, as you always do.” He reaches for the papers, but a harsh **_slam_** resounds across the room before he could get to it. Lilith had them under her palm, with a dangerous look in her eye that Lucifer had never been on the receiving end of before.

“I’m afraid I’m not going anywhere tonight.” It’s as firm a statement she’d ever been able to tell him to his face, and her voice shook subtly at the feel of it on her tongue. “You see, I have…other plans in place. One that very much concerns you. This company, even.” Is this what power felt like? To have the upper hand, and the satisfaction of a fear in another’s eyes – he was in her mercy, finally, instead of the other way around.

“Don’t play games Lilith, I have little patience for them.”

“I can assure you, this is no trivial matter,” Lilith says, smiling in the end when she whips out another pile of papers to slam on the table. “These files implicate the company’s tax evasion within the last decade. A really unruly sight, if you ask me. Took a lot of digging too, so well done sweeping it under the rug.”

Her voice grew now in the confidence she acquired, slamming another pile of papers on top of the previous one. “Here, a list of all the government officials the company – or might I say you – have bribed to jeopardize local businesses on the grounds of bogus claims.”

Lucifer had on a straight face, eyes dark and posture spectacular but Lilith saw right through him. The asshole was absolutely mortified.

“And of course a drafted news piece I intend to send to the New York Times, so that everyone else knows what’s going on,” Lilith says as a final act, letting a sleek 2 pager drop lightly on a mountain that signified the end of Morningstar Inc. 

Deviously, Lucifer was smiling. It would’ve been so easy to give it up, apologize – that look had brought her to heel many times before – but Lilith was done taking the easy way out.

A pause, before he looked her in the eye to say: “All this, for a little bakery in Greendale...” Lucifer says darkly. 

“This has nothing to do with them.” She snapped. A lie. This has everything to do with them. And Lucifer saw it in her eyes, and in her clenched hand. _He can't win_ , she reminded herself. _He can't win, not now._

“Of course, there is a way to make this all go away...” her voice sounded like a business proposal too intriguing to refuse. “Simply lift your charges against Spellman Sweets.”

Lucifer thought this through, shuffling the deck of cards in his mind and laying them out to find that they land in his favor. After only a few seconds... “Fine,” he stated, relaxing in his chair and felt confident enough to laugh. “You did make quite a show out of all this, only to get to an anticlimactic conclusion.”

Lilith was one step ahead of him. “What can I say, you trained me well.”

The businesswoman was about to leave, before she feigned that she’d forgotten something in the room. “By the way! I quit,” and with that, the resignation letter was the cherry on top of the pile of papers. Lilith couldn’t help but glance at the last expression on his face before she disappeared: finally, a haunting memory of him she could take with her as her own. It was the memory of his empire falling.

She flew out that very night, but the cogs were already in motion. The documents that served as evidence to Morningstar Inc.’s legal misconduct were on the way to the FBI. The article was on its way to a reporter on an “anonymous” tip. She was already resigned the day before this all happened. 

All under Lucifer’s nose. But also slammed onto his face all too late.

All those years of training and torment seemed to have built up to this very moment. By it, Lilith’s chest was lighter than she anticipated upon landing in Greendale. As discreetly as she could, she rented herself a modest car, rented out a shitty motel room for the night, waiting for the opportune moment to show herself to the Spellmans again. She had to make sure she had something to show for her return. What perfect way to do so than newspapers blowing up with reports on Morningstar Inc. being under investigation.

MORNINGSTAR INC.’S DEVILISH FRAUD AND BRIBERY FOR OVER A DECADE, UNDER FBI INVESTIGATION

 

* * *

 

 _How flattering,_ Zelda mused to herself upon attaining a copy for herself. The morning paper is routine, but this headline completely caught her off guard. Until then, the morning seemed like any other as she read up on the story. That is, until Sabrina barged in the dining room in full panic mode. 

“Aunties! I- I think we should go to the bakery right. now.” 

The two sisters merely looked at her calmly, already used to her antics, Zelda especially.

“Mephistopheles, save us from the melodramatics of a teenage girl,” Zelda said under her breath. “What is it now, Sabrina?”

“There’s- it’s urgent! I feel like, I dunno, I have a hunch we need to go there right now!” Sabrina could pinch herself at how utterly unconvincing she sounded, but she had to make it work. 

“‘Brina, love, it’s much too early in the day to be leaving the house. And you have school soon, darling. I’m sure it can wait,” Hilda cooed, walking up to her to lay her hands gently on her soldiers. 

Sabrina bites her lips, paused for a few seconds before blurting out, “The bakery is on fire.”

Ambrose audibly slaps his forehead.

“For Satan’s sake,” Zelda sneers, violently folding the newspaper to roll it neatly in her arm before heading out, “let’s go or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

And Sabrina looks all too pleased with herself. 

 

* * *

 

The day seemed to shine brightly on Greendale; that was either a good omen or a curse in disguise. The car ride was a mix of the two - Sabrina wouldn’t hear the end of it until they got to their destination, but the young girl seemed unfazed.

“I don’t know what you’re up to Sabrina, but I swear if I don’t see our bakery up in flames like you said it would be, you’re grounded for a month,” Zelda says as she slammed her door shut. 

What she saw was an infinitely less devastating sight. It was a man, slicing the chains that barred Spellman Sweets off the handles and took away the sign that went with it. All three Spellmans looked surprised - joyful, yes - but shocked sprinkled the top too. Everyone but Sabrina, who was smiling across the street. Smiling at Lilith, standing in front of a now shut down Hellish Delights, there to witness the entire thing.

Zelda followed her niece’s gaze, to land on blue eyes that pierced through hers as soon as they met. Lilith looked bashful, head low that her hair framed her face. 

The redhead, on the other hand, held her head high. It looked too much like the first day (or should we say the second day) they met: rivals, on opposite ends, strangers with ill intent. “I thought you’d moved away for good,” she said from across the street.  

Lilith thought she’d grown used to Zelda’s fire by now, but betrayal was woven in her words this time around - it broke her own heart in an entirely different way. Carefully, she crossed the street to meet them, catching the families' looks before she spoke. Hilda’s with an encouraging hope, Ambrose’s anticipation and Sabrina’s, warm and reassuring. “I won’t be here long. I just had to see to it that this mess was resolved.”

"A mess that you caused." As hard as Zelda fought it, tears couldn't prevent themselves from pooling in her eyes. But her jaw was clenched, still, and her lip in a straight line.

"Zelda," Lilith breathed out in a desperate huff. Subtly, with a gaze so gentle that Zelda felt it caressing her skin before she actually did, Lilith rest her eyes on the redhead's pale hand before taking it in her own. In her touch, Zelda shook. It was a grip she couldn't resist, a touch she'd missed, that she felt herself instantly melt into it. 

So badly did Zelda want to run into her arms and hold her, be held by her, inhale what her hair smelled like and the perfume she wore until she was dizzy. But so violently had Zelda thrown her heart through uncharted waters and too soon had she worn it on her sleeve that to _trust_ that it wasn't going to hurt as it did over the past days held her back, because the last thing she wanted was to hate Lilith for making her feel safe enough to do it.

“I swear on everything we’ve built here together that I had nothing to do with this. At first, yes, maybe, but,” Lilith couldn’t help but lightly chuckle at their hostile nature towards each other early on, and Zelda huffed a laugh of her own, but not without a tear falling from her cheek. And so Lilith lifted the other’s hand to her face, it was a comfort, and the strength to carry on. “But you taught me a different kind of... **worth**. One that I recognized I had for you and then- and then something I...” her voice couldn’t hold up, Lilith shed tears of her own. 

On her own initiative, Zelda cupped Lilith’s face with the palm already resting on her cheek. Automatically, Lilith leaned into it. Home. “Something I realized I deserved myself.”

“Darling,” Zelda cooed, using a thumb to wipe the cheeks that were already damp in her touch.

“But I understand how it all looked to you. Even I wouldn’t forgive me if I were you,” Lilith followed up quickly. It was so automatic a response to her, to take the blame. So much so that even this moment wasn’t an exception.

Instead of fighting the statement, Zelda simply brought out the newspaper she still had folded in her coat pocket to show Lilith herself. “I’d say this alone merits thorough forgiveness, one that would erase any doubt.”

“I cannot confirm nor deny my involvement with that,” Lilith bit her lip, corners rising when she shrugged. “Let’s just say, whoever _did_ leak the story took a big risk to do it...”

“I bet you did.”  
And that was that.

Zelda pulled Lilith in for a hug, and the latter landed on her chest in a relieved sigh. Again, finally, all felt right. “I’ve missed you,” Zelda whispers in her ear. “You don’t have to keep running either. Stay. For me. For as long as you’d like.”

Lilith nuzzled in her neck, nodding as she basked in her warmth. Never had she felt so _held_.

Sabrina cut the moment short with an excited squeal. Even Hilda had tears in her eyes at the exchange and Ambrose with a wide smile on his face. “Finally,” her niece exclaims, causing Zelda’s face to warp completely.

“You all _knew_? You couldn’t have,” the redhead exclaimed, turning to her family with Lilith in her arm. “We were practically mortal enemies before all this!”

The three looked to each other – as if caught red handed in something they’d been scheming together. “Well, sister it’s been… _pretty_ obvious if you ask us. You two, all hot and bothered about each other,” Hilda says with a small laugh. “We could literally pierce the chemistry between you two with a butter knife,” Sabrina added, and whereas Zelda is mortified, Lilith is blushing furiously behind a smile.

“AND before we get into the non-PG details, I think this is cause for celebration! Cookies, anyone? ‘Brina’s baking,” Ambrose chimes in to save his Auntie Zee from a heart attack, leading the family inside the bakery, smiles as bright as the sun that shone on them that morning. They weren’t to open the shop that day, but spend the day in for themselves. Today was for family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been an amazing ride! Find me at @strapchett on Twitter to keep in touch! 
> 
> Scream at me, send me more fic ideas/AUs, or just fangirl with me on there too ✨


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